Plans for new anti-terror laws targeting indirect incitement and "glorification" of terrorism and preparation of attacks have been published by Home Secretary Charles Clarke.
The main points are:
- Extending the period police can hold terror suspects without charge from two weeks to three months
- Possibly allowing terror suspects to turn "supergrass" and offer police and security services information
- Outlawing the "glorification" of terrorism
- Introducing an offence of acts preparatory to terrorism
- Introducing a law against giving or receiving terror training
- Making indirect incitement of terrorism an offence
- Considering the use of phone-tap evidence in courts
- Insisting that those applying for British citizenship must be "of good character"
In August Mr Clarke published a list of grounds for deporting people who foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence.
The main points of those plans are:
- New grounds for deporting and excluding people from the UK - including fostering hatred or, advocating and justifying violence to further beliefs. The powers will cover statements already on record
- Agreements with other countries, such as Jordan, to ensure people can be deported to their nations of origin without being tortured or ill-treated
- Amend human rights laws, if necessary, to prevent legal obstacles to new deportation rules
- Home secretary automatically to consider deporting any foreigner involved in listed extremist bookshops, centres, organisations and websites
- Make justifying or glorifying terrorism anywhere an offence
- Automatically refuse asylum to anyone with anything to do with terrorism anywhere
- Consult on setting a maximum time limit for extraditions to other countries - Tony Blair has said it was unacceptable that Rashid Ramda, wanted for the Paris Metro bombing 10 years ago, was still in the UK
- Examine calls for police to be able to hold terror suspects for longer before pressing charges
- Use more control orders against British terror suspects, who cannot be deported
- Increase the number of special judges hearing terror cases
- Already announced were plans to ban the Hizb ut Tahrir and the successor organisation of Al-Muhajiroun - and look at whether the grounds for banning such groups need to be widened
- Review the threshold for gaining British citizenship and establish, with the Muslim community, a commission to advise how to better integrate parts of the community "presently inadequately integrated"
- Create a list of foreign preachers who will be kept out of the UK and consult on creating new powers to close places of worship used to foment extremism
- Use biometric visas for those from designated countries and compiling a database so people whose views or activities pose a threat to UK security can be kept out of the country. They could only appeal against the decision from overseas.
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